Businesses and residents in the south of Skye are deeply disappointed that, for the second tourist season running, they will not be served by the vessel purpose-built for the ferry crossing to Mallaig.
Although there is a bridge to Skye many visitors and tour buses like to take the ferry over the sea to Skye, supporting many tourist operators on the Sleat Peninsula.
The community-led Sleat Transport Forum spent last summer campaigning for the return of the normal vessel, the Coruisk, to the Armadale to Mallaig service. There was significant disruption to the service as the replacement vessels had difficulties at low tide. Already two tour operators have indicated they are unlikely to send their coaches by the ferry this summer.
The Coruisk had been redeployed to help deal with the extra traffic on the Oban to Craignure (Mull) run attracted by cheaper ferry fares under Road Equivalent Tariff (RET). CalMac has now confirmed that it will again be on Mull service this summer, however it says a solution has been found.
Operations director Drew Collier said: “The MV Lord of the Isles and MV Loch Fyne will serve the Mallaig-Armadale route providing the additional capacity, frequency and improved reliability requested by the Sleat community.
“We have specifically planned the timetable to benefit coach traffic which was affected by disruptions due to tidal issues last summer.
“The MV Loch Fyne, which traditionally operates between Lochaline and Fishnish on Mull, will require some modifications to her ramps to operate on the Sound of Sleat, but, once completed, will allow us to provide more capacity and more sailings on the route than in summer 2015 when the MV Coruisk operated alone.”
However Roddy Murray, chair of the transport forum, said the Coruisk had provided a very good service for 12 years, but since its removal there had been "nothing but disruption, delays, cancellations and inconvenience for tourists and travellers." He said continued ferry disruption would hit vital local tourist businesses.
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